Mementos
by Silent the Heartfelt
Summary: The story of one girl, and the most faithful of her Pokemon, her only determination is a single object that would be held so dear to his heart.  First person/ One-shot


**(Joy, my first fanfiction on this site... ever ;; The plot for this is credited to the _actual_ Mivo, and the story its self is my doing. Enjoy o-o)**

I wasn't at all paying attention, my mind somewhere far away, lost in a deep thought, perhaps a daydream of sorts, and completely oblivious the voice speaking to me. Head tilted skyward, staring at the remarkable blue hues and cloud strewn sky. Why did it seem so beautiful? Or was I just scatter-minded enough that something so simple had completely stolen my attention? I had long since forgotten the movement beneath me, the wind whipping hard at me from our quick forward advance, and my fingers loosened from the thick, warm fur beneath me, so when a rumble of thunder and a short clap of lightning heralded a storm in the far East, I lost my steady balance and haphazardly leaned to the side, slipping from my speedy mount. Without missing, the Arcanine slid to a stop, and I was able to catch myself, my heart in my throat and hammering hard at my windpipe, rocketing forward and digging my fingers back into the thick mane.

"What an amazing lack of focus you have." I blinked a few times and took some deep breaths to control my shock, before straightening; attempting to regain what dignity I had left. Dignity. Ha. Coughing and swallowing my hammering heart, I looked at the Pokémon that I sat on, doggish head tilted to the side in curious, a smug smile on his furry beak. "Oh, hush you." I spat to cover my embarrassment, earning only a deep chuckle from the animal. "You're like a Meowth with a shiny new toy- however the whole world seems to be that shiny toy."

In a childish manner I stuck my tongue out at him, and he only rolled his eyes, again darting forward with Extremespeed, and not seeming to plan on stopping again. This time, trying to keep myself from repeating the events, I clung harder, my face pressed close to his neck, buried in his mane. Despite the rush of wind as we rocketed on at an unimaginable speed, I could hear the continuous roar of thunder and could feel the warm sun's rays dying as they were blotted out. Careful not to lose my grip, I looked back up, disdained now to see heavy black clouds coating the sky and causing the temperature of the mountain we currently worked our way through to drop severely. I nudged him in his furry ribs with my foot. "Mivo," His ears twitched back at the sound of my voice, listening now,

"Those clouds aren't exactly promising fair, happy weather the rest of this trip." He didn't stop, but I saw him look up slightly for a mere second to examine the heavy clouds. He seemed to brood over them for a moment before giving me a sharp nod, breaking off the beaten path we had been following for some miles now. We hadn't been planning the trip, but we had indeed agreed we needed to spend, if only a day or two, away from our coastal home in Canalave City. On top of that, I had my own secret agenda, Valentine's Day approaching fast, and I desperately needed to get out and get something for my loyal companion. With only our need for adventure as a mutual plan, we had set out for Mount Coronet, to get to the other side and find ourselves in Hearthome, but our plans fell short when we found the tunnel-cave that connected the two sides of the mountain had suffered from a rockslide, and was blocked- our only option being to go over it, hence our current predicament in the mountain range. I guess I hoped we'd make it over before being stuck in one of the icy mountain's infamous blizzards, but my hopes were crushes when the first crystal flakes began to drip lazily from the clouds, the wind rising from a soft hum to raging, high screams, bringing with it, blinding white lashes of snow, and as the wind howled and the snow streaked, lightning dancing across the sky with a crescendo of thunder, the blizzard was upon us. Shivering, I pressed ever closer against Mivo, reveling in his fire-type warmth. He slid to a stop, barely keeping his balance on the ice and snow slick ground. His head twisted this way and that, and I could feel his sides moving with sharp inhales as he took in the scents around him, before finally looking back at me.

"We should probably stop for the remainder of the night." It wasn't a question but a blunt statement I couldn't argue with. This was a trainer and Pokémon case where it was the Pokémon directing its trainer's actions, but I couldn't argue. He took off again, and I lifted my head slightly, looking at the barrier of white that seemed to surround us, blotting out everything visible, but as long as Mivo could still see, it didn't matter- although I felt vulnerable without sight. Then suddenly, without warning, a large dark outcrop of rock jutted from the white coated ground and frosted trees around us, and a break in the storm. Without hesitating, Mivo brushed past the overgrowth of bushes surrounding it, and I lifted myself up fully. A massive, gray boulder sat from a past rockslide, other rocks that seemed to have fallen with it piled up against it, creating a half-hearted shelter with a semi expanse of roof, but it would keep us out of the majority of the wind and snow.

I slid from his back, and backed up as he shook himself vigorously, ridding his fur of any snow that had accumulated there. "Stay." His order was short and as I opened my mouth to protest, he took off again, and I fell to the snowy ground with a whiney 'humpf'. It wasn't long before he returned, semi-dry wood and kindling grasped in his jaws, which he dropped with a satisfied sound, similar to that of a purr, turning to examine our campsite, when with a deep inhale, he blew out a stream of lightning hot fire, melting the snow and catching the kindling- a snow-clear, dry, warm ground to sit on, and a piled-high campfire. Laying down next to it, a massive heap of tan, orange and black striped fur, so similar looking to the campfire, he rested his head on the ground and I moved over to sit in front of him, curled into his side like and oversized, living stuffed animal. With my ear pressed to his chest, the sound of his steady heartbeat cut through the howling winds, and created a peaceful noise for me to focus on instead. Sort of like white noise I suppose, to calm the savage beast? Whatever that proverb was. As soon as some sort of oasis-like peace seemed to have settled over our campsite, and we sat, staring into the fire, I heard him speak; "Now it wasn't conditions much different than this in which we met, hm?"

I tiled my head up, heavy eyes looking up at the Pokémon's serene expression as he looked to the core of the fire, where white flames licked and crackled at the wood, fading to the red and orange hues that gave waves of heat off to us. I laughed softly, "Yeah, it really was just like this." I rolled onto my back, staring up at the rocky overhang above us, "A little lost puppy begging for a home." I chimed, my remark a tease, "With an obsession with all things shiny and colorful." I continued mockingly and he rolled his eyes, then looking at me with an equally teasing glance,

"And…?" He started, ears pricked high.

"Kaleidoscopes." We both broke out in squeals of laughter at that point, easily recalling the Growlithe that deemed himself King of Kaleidoscopes , and when one was in his grasp, would not relinquish it to even the mightiest of forces… those mighty forces being equally obsessed Murkrows and Meowths.

"And you took that puppy home, just begging your mother that it was just the fluffiest puppy, and you wanted it." He continued, pridefully, which I counteracted, getting on my knees and facing him, "Who then burned down the kitchen."

"Oh, my pride, my dignity." He feigned injury, rolling over and playing dead.

"And then he fell in love." I finished.

He opened his eyes, rolling back to his prior position with a rustle of fur, paws outstretched now, putting them around me and pulling me into his furry body. I nuzzled my face into the soft fur, heavy with his warm scent, lacing my fingers into it, "And so did you." He added softly. It was true, I had raised that Growlithe, Mivo, into a powerful Pokémon- not necessarily used for battling, although used when needed, and with a little help, had been taught to speak, not much different from the other few Pokémon who were taught to communicate fluently with trainers. Such a bond had been formed between us that- despite the disapproval that came with it, we found ourselves much in love. We laid there that night, and I fell into a peaceful sleep curled in that same position against him, while he lightly dozed, keeping an ever alert watch around us, since the forest around us was notorious for savage Pokémon with foul temperaments.

It was early the next morning that I woke up, cozily cuddled up against Mivo, yawning and turning, looking outside, the wind having died down, and now only a few soft flurries of snow falling, the sky a pale gray. I stretched, bones popping and cracking, and Mivo stirred, sitting upright and stretching. We ate some of what we had packed along for the trip for breakfast, before starting off again at an insane speed, heading down the opposite side of the mountain to the vast expanse of city that stretched out. It wasn't as long a trip down the mountain as it had been up, and soon, we were in the heavily crowded streets, feeling a little more than out of place as, I rode, up higher than most people with their city dwelling, city friendly Pokémon- although I couldn't quite miss the envious glares I got- Growlithe and Arcanine being extremely rare sights in Sinnoh, and highly prized. We reached a calmer, more sparsely populated place, and I dismounted, much to his confusion;

"Now, behave yourself, okay? I'll meet you back here in an hour. Got it?" I put my hands on my hips, watching him as, although still confused, he nodded, and I smiled, nodding once, and parting ways, melting into the crowd while he went off to do god knows what in his spare time. It took me most of that hour, going from store to store, looking, searching, digging, but I did finally find what I wanted in one, small, out of the way shop that seemed family owned and prideful despite their quiet appearance.

Careful not to be late after assuring the time restraint, I hurried back to where I was to meet Mivo, finding the fire Pokémon waiting patiently- heck, I wondered if he had even left this spot… but no time to ponder, I happily walked over to him, and he seemed happy enough to see me. He tilted his head to the side in a very canine manner, "Where did you go off to?" He questioned, and I could only beam. He grew ever more curious, and clutching a handful of his fur, hopped up on his back, maneuvering him through the crowd once more to a more peaceful patch of city, where flower beds were planted, the blooming plants giving off an ever sweet aroma, a few shade-providing trees and an old wooden bench, "Well, you see, I was wandering around and I just couldn't help myself." I chimed, and I could tell his curiosity was now getting the best of him. Rolling my eyes at his impatience, I did something dastardly. "Sit!" It worked every time as his ears flicked forward at the command and he fell back, sitting like an obedient dog, "Good boy!" I chimed and he scowled, but not for long as I pulled out the long tube like structure, decorated in colorful patterns that mimicked the inside's every changing array. He lit up like a firework lunging forward like an overexcited puppy, heavy paws lying over my shoulders as he plastered my face with licks, the kaleidoscope falling from my hand as I staggered, wrapping as much of my arms around him as I could, returning the puppy-hug with a fit of laughter.

"Happy Valentine's Day?" I managed to get out through my laughter and his sloppy wet kisses.

"Happy Valentine's Day." He responded, getting down and dipping his head, sliding between my legs and forcing me onto his back, backwards, picking the kaleidoscope up in his mouth, and taking off again, despite the thick crowds of people who complained at the large dog forcing through their masses, and my squealing laughter the entire time.

And so forth, the obsessive "King of Kaleidoscopes" returned, and our love renewed with a simple, forgotten memento.


End file.
